Traditionally, marine tilt steering mechanisms have used a bushing style bearing to support the steering shaft in shaft housings. As an example of this arrangement, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,766 to Carlson. While bushings may be sufficient for some applications, they may not be ideal in a marine steering context. This is because boats do not have a long steering column as would be found in a tractor or car. A longer steering column allows the contact points of the bushing bearing to be spaced apart a significant distance. Because the contact points can be spaced further apart compared to a marine system, there can be some radial clearance in the bearings without having noticeable movement (play) in the steering wheel.
Functionally, bushings require some clearance or they will not allow motion between the turning and stationary components. There will always be some wear in a bushing which further increase clearances. Because in a boat the entire tilting action must take place in front of the dash without moving the steering wheel too close to the driver, the steering shaft support area is very short—generally around one inch. Given the clearances that exist and the short distance between the support points relative to the distance to the outside of the steering wheel, these clearances may result in undesirable movement at the outer edges of the steering wheel.